


Out to Sea

by ceria



Category: Pirates of the Caribbean (Movies)
Genre: Childbirth, F/M, baby turner
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-24
Updated: 2020-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-15 22:34:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28945986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ceria/pseuds/ceria
Summary: Elizabeth, Will, her crew, and one baby Turner.
Relationships: Elizabeth Swann/Will Turner
Kudos: 2





	Out to Sea

**Author's Note:**

> Written October 2007  
> backdated to AO3 'cause I had an urge to post old fic.

Frustrated with their lack of speed, Elizabeth paced the broken deck of Teague's ship. She wanted outside, she wanted to be on her own ship, but nothing seemed to calm her unborn child. Rubbing her stomach, she sang softly, but still he (she?) kicked unmercifully. 

"Mrs. Turner, please," Mary said, "Try it again." She pushed the chair toward Elizabeth, cowering behind it as if she expected Elizabeth to strike her.

"Mary, stop leaning over like that, stand up straight; and call me Elizabeth."

"Can't, ma'am, it hurts to stand like you do."

Glaring at her, Elizabeth said, "It will hurt worse in a few years, _Mary_."

Responding to the glare, she replied, "Can't call you by your name, not with you bein' king and all."

"I'm a _pirate_ , Mary, not royalty. And you are a Captain's wife, as I am as well. Call me by my name, please."

"You'll ne'er get 'er to do it," a woman said as she came out of Teague's Great Cabin, walking crooked to compensate for the angle of the ship.

"Hello, Abigail," Elizabeth said, grinning at the woman as she straightened her skirts. 

"'E's sleepin', if you were waitin' to see 'im."

"She won't use the garden chair, Abigail!" Mary said, tsking under her breath. 

"I feel like I'm going to slide out of it," she finally admitted. Even now, she was clutching the mast to properly stand on the deck. 

"Well, get down from ere!" Abigail said, taking one of Elizabeth's hands and helping her down the steps to the lower level of the city, since Elizabeth couldn't see her feet any longer.

The shrill noise of the warning whistle made her cover her ears, but as soon as the watchman stopped, Elizabeth hurried to the nearest lookout to see what ship was arriving.

"Oh, blessed mother of God," she said as the familiar - and missed – orange sails of the _Empress_ emerged from The Devil's Throat. 

With no doubt in her mind, Elizabeth strode across the swaying gangplanks toward her ship. It didn't matter how far Huang had traveled, she just needed to be aboard the _Empress_ for a moment. It wasn't like she would ask Huang to leave harbor once the crew disembarked. 

"My captain," he said, bowing politely to her. She could see his silent commands as his hands waved behind his back.

"Do not stop the crew, Huang. I just need the steady sea beneath my feet."

Nodding his head, he motioned again and the crew scurried past her, bowing as they went. 

Entering her cabin, Elizabeth slowly sat in the chair, sighing gladly to feel the sway of ship and not the tilt of slippery decks.

**~ * ~**

Her father had sworn several times over that the only thing that kept her mother sane while pregnant was the garden chair in their back yard. _She would rock you for two hours at time, singing lullabies_ , her father used to tell her. It had been Elizabeth's favorite story the few times she had been sick as a child.

Was it possible that Elizabeth's love for the sea began in the womb? She thought it highly likely. Had her father been there, he would have told her that her pregnancy was affecting her brain. 

Now, there was only Huang to question her sanity. Well, Mary and Abigail were here, along with a handful of other wives and children, but most of the pirates were… pirating. Unlike Elizabeth. 

The knock on her door startled Elizabeth, and Huang entered without permission, as per her standing request. She could hear the nattering of Mary and Abigail until he closed the door.

"You haven't been in the city yet, Huang."

"No, Captain, I have not. Mary tells me you are restless."

"Little Turner is restless," she admitted. "Nothing seems to calm him these last two days."

"Maybe he is excited to join us."

"I should hope so. I tire of being pregnant."

"May I suggest one free night for the crew, then after dawn you can take her out?"

" _Dawn_? After their first night back?" Elizabeth couldn't help but laugh. "I expect noon will be more like it."

"If we are not to travel far, we'll only need a minimal crew, Captain. And I insist Mary and Abigail attend you."

"I'm not going to have the baby tomorrow, Huang, they can stay in the city."

"I insist, Captain."

Sighing, Elizabeth didn't argue further with him. Standing slowly, she said, "Send Mary in to help me, if you don't mind, and I'll sleep in my cabin tonight."

"Of course."

"Huang? Make sure you go into the city yourself, no one will harm me here."

"Of course, Captain," he said, but she didn't believe him.

She'd sent the _Empress_ , under Huang's command, to fetch supplies. It wasn't fair to keep them corralled in Shipwreck because she was near the end of her pregnancy. 

Sighing happily as she settled into her bed for the night, Elizabeth sang herself to sleep. Thankfully, the _Empress_ wasn't the _Pearl_ and hadn't ever been cursed; she was a good ship and Elizabeth loved her. She rather liked the fact that the ship was only a ship and she couldn't feel any sort of sentient being or mystique about her. For once, Elizabeth was just on a ship - a keel, hull and sails.

**~ * ~**

She woke to dawn on her own ship in the water, not on yet another relic heaped onto the city. The baby shifted and Elizabeth absentmindedly rubbed her stomach, wishing yet again that Will could be there to enjoy the pregnancy. She was sure he would have loved every moment of it, unlike herself. She missed food most of all - well, she missed her father's cook, actually. The peasant food here didn't agree with her and even the fresh food Huang usually returned with didn't last long enough.

Dressing herself after a brief, cursory washing, Elizabeth walked the deck. She'd not slept well, the baby shifting and moving constantly, though the sway of her ship seemed to help soothe him somewhat. 

As soon as Mary and Abigail returned, Huang would raise the anchor for a short sail. Stopping at the rail to lean over, her long hair blowing in the wind, her calloused hands tangled in the lines, Elizabeth sighed with contentment. She missed Will terribly, but if she had to be apart from him, this was the way to do it.

Briefly she wondered where Jack, Barbossa and the _Pearl_ were and who they might be harassing now that Norrington and Beckett were dead.

The long skirt caught around her legs as she walked to the helm, but that couldn't be helped. Breeches weren't meant for a woman in the last days of her pregnancy, and unfortunately she felt as large as the sail above her head. 

Jacob skittered by her, running along the edge of the railing, barely holding onto the lines and Elizabeth sighed, "Jacob, be careful up there!"

"Jacob Anthony!" Abigail yelled behind her, making Elizabeth jump, "Get down from ere at once."

"But mum," he whined, "Mrs. Turner promised I could be her cabin boy!"

"Not until next year, after you turn ten, and _only_ if you learn to listen to your mother," Elizabeth said firmly, pointing to the deck near her feet.

"But… she's just mum!"

"Jacob," Elizabeth said, awkwardly crouching down as he stopped in front of her, "if you cannot listen to your mother, how do I know you'll listen to your captain?'

He paused for a moment, brown eyes wide, reminding her of when she first met Will. She untucked her kerchief and dried his nose for him, making Jacob grimace at her. Abigail dipped into an awkward curtsy and Elizabeth smiled at her when Jacob wasn't looking.

Then Huang was by her side, helping her back to her feet. It was bloody awkward moving lately. Her stomach contracted yet again and Elizabeth ignored it, telling him to raise the anchor since he had promised her a sail today.

They passed through The Devil's Throat with her first mate at the helm and Elizabeth near the bow, enjoying the freedom. No one spoke to Huang as he counted off the marks in the brief darkness of the cave though Jacob whined once, probably afraid of the dark.

Squinting in the bright sunlight, she grasped the railing, leaning over the front of her boat to watch it glide through the water. Her stomach contracted again and she gasped softly, then tried to hide the sound with a short song. Rubbing her belly, she made her way back to the helm. 

He wasn't fooled by her movements, she was sure, but Huang said nothing as he watched her call out the commands to take the _Empress_ to full sail. She would have this baby at sea, in open water, or her title wasn't pirate king.

Mary was in the corner, retching again and Abigail was fetching a wet cloth for her head. The sound was enough to turn Elizabeth's stomach, but she swallowed again and took a deep breath. Mary didn't have to go with them, there were two other women on the island who were never seasick, but privately Elizabeth was glad she had come, after all. The woman had already given birth twice to Abigail's once, and she wanted mothers there with her for her first time.

Tamping down her longing for Will, once again, Elizabeth took a deep breath. Jack had known she was pregnant, and she briefly wondered where he was and why he hadn't tried to make it back to be with her. It was understandable why Will wasn't there, at least.

She continued to walk the deck, the cramping getting worse and more painful as the sun glided from the port to the starboard side. Finally, Huang said, "Captain, you should lie down in your cabin. Take Mary and Abigail with you as I drop the anchor."

So, she hadn't fooled him, had she? Even if he didn't know her fear of dying on land, at least he was willing to give her this. Four crewmembers were carefully passing buckets of water up from the hold and carrying them to her cabin. Elizabeth glanced at Huang but only he said, "Hot water for you."

He ordered Ling to drop the anchor and finally Mary got to her feet, wiping her face and hands on a cloth, and then dropping it in the corner. At least she wouldn't smell of vomit. Elizabeth didn't need that disturbing her labor.

**~ * ~**

Who would have known that labor was so painful, though? By the time afternoon gave way to evening and the sun set, making Mary and Abigail light the lanterns, Elizabeth was still in her bed, soaked to the bone with sweat, her cotton mattress ruined. 

Hardly screaming now, her voice hoarse, Elizabeth whimpered in pain. They had to be almost done, they had to be close. Huang was nervously pacing the far wall of the cabin, refusing to leave after he heard Elizabeth screaming. At various times he'd approached the bed, only to have Mary and Abigail threaten him once again.

"We need more cloth, Abigail, dry ones to clean this up," Mary said, wiping Elizabeth's face once again. 

"I'll get 'em," she said, rushing from the room. 

Four contractions later and she hadn't returned and Mary kept glancing toward the door. "Huang," she said and even Elizabeth could tell her voice was nervous, "Can you go look for Abigail?"

Dipping his head once he walked toward the door, just as it bounced open, reverberating against the wood. 

"Will!" Elizabeth said, her voice breaking from pain and excitement at seeing Will. 

Gasping in shock, Mary tried to curtsy to the _Dutchman_ 's captain, but he waved her off, handing her several dry cloths. Sliding behind his wife, rapidly pushing away the blankets piled there, he propped her against his chest, wiping away more sweat from her forehead.

"Shhh, my love. I'm here."

At his voice, his tender words, Elizabeth gave in to the tears she'd held at bay for hours. She was tired, sore and terrified. His clothes smelled of the sea and she could feel the warmth of his skin, but no heartbeat. Not that she needed to hear such a sound, for she listened to it daily.

"Are you here for me?" she whispered, her voice breaking with fear and Will looked at her oddly.

"What? No, Elizabeth, of course not. You are not your mother, you won't die in childbirth."

Between gasping pants, she said, "Then why are you here?"

"Shhh," he kissed her forehead again. "You'll know soon enough." Raising his voice, Will asked, "Mary, Abigail can't return to help, not right away. What do you need me to do?"

"She needs to push, Captain Turner. As soon as the next one begins."

"Huang," Will said, "You are needed out there, if you can bear to leave the room. My father is trying to help, but he doesn’t know this crew and I think they are frightened to find us here."

Then the next contraction began and Elizabeth heard no more conversation, no more words, beyond Will's whispers of encouragement in her ear.

Later, between her cries of pain, she heard the thin, reedy wail of a newborn and the gasp from both Mary and Will.

"You did it, my love," he said, kissing her sticky forehead, "You did it."

Crying openly, she turned her face to kiss him, "I couldn't have done it without you."

"I love you, Elizabeth. You're the strongest, bravest woman I know."

"I'm glad you're here," she whispered, feeling tired and uncomfortable, in pain, and rather embarrassed for Will to see her is such a state, though the loving look in his eyes made her forget how worn out she felt at that moment.

Then Mary said, "Look here, Captain Turner," and they turned as one person to see the bundle in her arms. The squalling, red-skinned tiny baby. 

"What's her name, Elizabeth?" Will asked and Mary shook her head.

" _His_ name, Captain. For he's a boy."

Elizabeth held out her hands, fingers twitching to see him, saying, "William. William Weatherby, if you don't mind."

"Of course I don't mind, Elizabeth, of course not. It's a good strong name, and it will serve him well in life."

She held their baby close, cherishing him for a moment, then sighed and kissed his forehead. However Will had turned, looking in the direction of the _Dutchman_.

"Do you have to go?"

"I fear so, we're needed off the coast of Barbary."

"Just a moment," she said as he moved, propping her up with the blankets she had leaned against before he came into the cabin.

He stood and turned toward them, tears shining brightly, unashamedly, in his eyes.

"Captain Turner, I'd like you to meet our son, William Weatherby Turner."

He bowed, his hand squeezing the necklace around his neck, his fist against the scar on his chest. 

"It is my pleasure and joy to meet you, my son."

With one more lingering kiss against her lips, Will whispered, "Tell Abigail I will teach Jacob to be a proper cabin boy."

Then, as she understood his words, she closed her eyes against the sharp pain of grief. When she opened them, Will was gone, her sadness over Jacob's death mingling with his departure.

Mary gently touched the baby's head, tears spilling from her own eyes as she whispered, "I expect you'll have to get used to that, Master Turner," Mary said with a small, sad smile on her face, "Your Da will be going more than he'll be coming."

"Go see to Abigail, Mary," Elizabeth said softly, knowing she would need Mary more, now. "And send Huang back in here, please."

She wanted to grieve with Abigail, but she wasn't ready. Her tears were from nothing but joy as she held her baby, thankful that Will could join them even for that short space of a time. Mary had the right of it, Elizabeth thought, kissing her son's damp head. She would have to brave this alone, being thankful for scarce moments during the next ten years as she waited for her husband's return, knowing that any joy she might have in seeing him would be mingled with the pain of death.


End file.
